Erik ten Hag Reflects on Manchester United's Opening Win and Zirkzee's Impact
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag expressed his satisfaction after the Red Devils kicked off the 2024-25 Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford. Despite the victory, Ten Hag acknowledged that the team is still a work in progress.
"I think the performance was OK. The win is very pleasing. To start the season with a win is always important," Ten Hag told BBC Match of the Day. "We are not ready as a squad, as a team—many players are not up to full fitness. We only had 10 days with this team training together."
The United boss emphasised the need for improvement but also noted the solid foundation that the team can build on moving forward. "I expect more from this team, but we have a foundation we can build on," he said. "The performance is good. Over 90 minutes, of course, there is room for improvement. But I think overall, the performance and execution of the game plan was very good."
Joshua Zirkzee, who came off the bench to replace Mason Mount and scored the winning goal late in the match, received special praise from Ten Hag.
"It was very important to get the first goal as a striker," the Dutch boss said. "For him, it is very pleasing because strikers have to score. That is the first ability you have to show when you come as a striker to a new club."
Looking ahead, Ten Hag reiterated United's ambition to compete for more trophies in the upcoming season. "Of course, trophies we take on board—that is for the history, no one can take this away from you," he stated.
"We start on zero going into the next season, and we are very ambitious. We want to win more trophies. We want to compete in every league we play in, and now we have a platform."
Comments